Back In The Saddle

So, employers and insurance companies want employees to shoulder even more of the burden of healthcare. A high deductible will ensure that many people wait until it is an emergency, which always costs more. And that cost is not always restricted to money. Rent, gas, food and other basics have continued to increase and salaries have not kept up. Now an even larger portion of an employee's salary must go to an overly bloated system that generates paperwork, wastes time and offers very little health care for the prices charged. Plus, they need to save for retirement, save to put their kids through school and help out their aging parents. Why not just declare us all workers (the have nots) for the collective (the have way more than they need but a little extra is always appreciated) and quit messing around with the illusion?

You know, I almost feel sorry for the President. The operative word being almost. Gloria Borger of US News comes out swinging and connects for a home run.

It's tough, but somehow the Justice Department managed to do the impossible: complicate a very simple matter and then turn it into a losing battle.

The West Wing is not a comfortable place these days. "The White House used to be like an iron wall," says David Frum, a former speechwriter for this president. "They maintained a united front against the whole outside world . ... Well, now events have burst their wall, and ... suddenly, no one inside the White House knows what the rules are anymore." It is disorienting, to be sure-particularly for a White House known more for its arrogance than for its skills at reaching out and making nice. "When you are in trouble," Frum adds, "every little pebble becomes a giant rock." Then, a boulder, heading downhill.

The White House is even alienating its friends. The scandal about the conditions at Walter Reed makes enemies of veterans. The incompetence at the Justice Department regarding the firings of U.S. attorneys angers prosecutors. "It's hard to imagine two more core Republican groups than veterans and prosecutors," says Frum, smiling. "I mean, at this point, they have to start going after evangelicals, so, at some point, there is absolutely nobody left." He's only half kidding.

I guess the saying "no honor among thieves" blew right past them.

Never having had my own personal rugrat, I can't say that I miss what I never had. My dog is my best friend and companion. Currently she's snuggled up against my leg, snoring away. Nothing is too good for her. I made a commitment when I got her and she will never be abandoned by me. I don't think I would have bought a new house just for her convenience, but she is pretty cute. Me loves her.